Cross Border Conflict in Gambella Regional State (from 1991 to 2011): The Impacts of the Cross Border Conflicts in Gambella Regional State

Abstract

Many Africans are experiencing ethnics-cross-border-con?icts which impose great social and economic costs. The objective of this article is to identify the impacts of the cross border conflicts in Gambella Regional State and its adjacent States in South Sudan. This study is more of qualitative research type. Both secondary and primary data were collected using questionnaire, interview, focus groups discussion and documents analysis. The study was conducted in Gambella region of Ethiopia and in Jonglei state of South Sudan. The respondents were from affected communities (elders, elites, religious people, women, and youth) of Nuer, Anyuak and Murle, governments’ officials and non-governmental functionaries’ workers. The sample size was 401. The focus group discussions participants were select systematically and the rest informants were taken purposively. The motivation factors of the cross border conflicts are to obtain additional livestock, to enable payment for marriage as dowry, buying food items and clothes, to get honor to community, and to get economic benefits, up to 50 cows for child abduction. The cross border incursions have destructively affected the lives and economic development of the people around this border. The con?icts have resulted in socio-economic deterioration of farmers and pastoralists and weakening the proper functioning of local government, which in turns put the existence of good governance and leadership under question. These incursions resulted in displacement of many people, innumerable human death, cattle raided, innocent children abducted, food insecurity and dependency on food aid.

Keywords: Conflict, cross-border conflict, Impact